On Saturday, Ukraine said Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX)’s Starlink and its military version, Starshield, are fully functional after more than a week of restrictions that disrupted military operations.
“The speeds are now at the level we need,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
The restoration came amid renewed diplomatic efforts involving Russia, Ukraine and the U.S.
Starshield Is a US Government Call
Hours later, in a post on X, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Ukraine’s military violated Starlink’s terms of service.
Musk wrote that using Starlink, “a civilian commercial service,” for offensive drone strikes “has never been allowed.” He said Ukraine used it that way and “that loophole was closed last week.”
Starshield is “a different system” controlled by the U.S. government, Musk said. “What they decide to do is up to them.”
He also said Starlink remains critical to Ukraine’s defense and that the front line would collapse if it were turned off. He called that “NOT a threat,” but “a statement of fact.”
Who Ordered the Throttle?
Ukrainian officials said the restrictions capped Starshield speeds at 160 kph (100 mph) and forced some operations to be canceled.
Last week, Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov said the cap “cannot be a coincidence.”
The curbs followed President Donald Trump’s announcement of a deal to buy Russian diesel while pressing Kyiv to stop striking Russian refineries.
Earlier this month, Musk said Starshield limits are “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.”
Neither Musk nor U.S. officials have publicly taken responsibility. But CBS News and the Wall Street Journal reported Musk personally ordered the limits.
On Friday, Trump said he would “get it straightened out” if problems persisted, Reuters reported.
The dispute has drawn bipartisan scrutiny. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he would seek a Pentagon inspector general probe. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) called for a Senate investigation and said Musk should testify under oath.
Washington’s control over Starlink is not new. The Biden and Trump administrations repeatedly asked Musk to activate or disable the service in different countries.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
Photo courtesy: Samuel Boivin / Shutterstock.com
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